Egypt 13: Old Egyptian Museum

 

 

 Back to Cairo. January tenth and Christmas music is still playing. On the other hand the portion of the Torah read in synagogues today is the beginning of Exodus.

 

Now unofficially the Old Egyptian Museum since the GEM opened last year, this turn-of-the-century building still has plenty of stuff worth seeing.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pharoah Ramesses II

 

The god Serapis. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Merpneptah Stele.  It contains the only written mention of Israel found in ancient Egypt.  Pharoah Merneptah (circa 1200 BCE) brags about his military victories, including destroying Israel.  This appears to have been a tad exaggerated. "Israel," by the way, is accompanied by the symbol for a people, not a place.

The Hierakonpolis Mask, approximately 5,700 years old.  Older than the pyramids.

Pharoah Khafre (2500 BCE). The falcon is the god Horus.

The Seated Scribe (2500 BCE). We saw him every time we paid for something with a 200 Egyptian pound note (worth about 4 dollars today).

Below: an Assyrian prisoner and baby Ramesses II, protected by Horus.

The store rooms under the museum have five times as much material as is on display.

Next: : Akhenaten

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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